Studies on dietary phosphorus requirement of juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii

A 56-days growth trail was conducted to determine the dietary phosphorus requirement for young Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii. In total 495 healthy young Acipenser baerii weighed average 14.50 +/- 1.00 g were selected and randomly distributed into 33 tanks (eleven treatments with triplicates each). The growth performance of Acipenser baerii improved significantly with the level of phosphorus increasing, weight gain rate arrived at 431.94% for the maximum while the phosphorus level up to 0.60%. Ash and phosphorus content of whole fish increased with the level of phosphorus in the diet and remained stable while dietary phosphorus was more than 0.99% (P > 0.05). There were positive correlations between ash, calcium and phosphorus content in scutae and the dietary phosphorus had offered. Plasma calcium, plasma phosphorus content and alkaline phosphatase activity were influenced significantly by dietary phosphorus levels (P < 0.05). Based on WGR and phosphorus content in whole fish presented in this report, we would suggest a value of 0.50-0.87% phosphorus be used in formulated sturgeon feed.